Fine Arts and Dance

About the Major

The Fine Arts program introduces students to a complex and important area of human culture. In art history courses, they learn how to evaluate works aesthetically and to comprehend and recognize influences of contributing forces (physical, political, intellectual, spiritual) on artists and the viewing public. In studio courses, the creative experience is offered and concerns of artistic activity are made more vivid. As Fine Arts majors, students concentrate in either Studio Art or Art History. Minors are offered in Studio Art, Art History, and Archaeology. All students should plan their program of study in consultation with the Fine Arts program chair. Courses may include field trips to museums and galleries in nearby cities.

Internships are encouraged for all students in the major or minor, especially those planning careers in museums, galleries, educational or cultural institutions, commercial art or arts administration. The program benefits from several campus resources including the Bogigian Art Gallery and the Hunnicutt Classics Collection. An Artist in Residency program helps to expose students to visual and performing artists. These resources are described under the section on Academic Resources.

Courses in related disciplines may be recommended for academic enrichment or career goals. The following courses may be credited towards the Art History requirement: CLS 215 Women in Antiquity and CLS 270 Topics in Classical Civilization.

Required Courses

Concentration in Studio Art

Students work in a self-selected medium or variety of media at an
advanced level in a workshop atmosphere under supervision of the
instructor. Designed for students with some background and experience in
studio art techniques. Prerequisite: at least two studio courses. Can
be taken twice for credit.

Six studio art courses

Three art history courses

Concentration in Art History

Nine art history courses

Two studio art courses

Student Learning Goals

Relevant Goals of the Program

Provide theoretical and creative experiences to help the student to develop an understanding of the art of dance

Provide exceptional training in choreographic methods, modern and ballet techniques and historical perspectives

Produce graduates who have versatility, a strong aesthetic and dance skills and life-long appreciation of dance and other arts

Student Learning Objectives

Students will:

Obtain an appreciation for high level of technical mastery

Acquire a significant body of theoretical and historical knowledge pertaining to the dance field

Be
capable of producing work and solving professional problems
independently, and develop a coherent set of artistic/intellectual
goals, which are evident in their work.

Studio Art Departmental Learning Goals

Goal #1: Acquisition and comprehension of content knowledge

Outcomes: Competency in the field will be demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

explore and employ a variety of materials and media to produce well executed works of art;

approach the technical, emotional, and intellectual perspective of study;

demonstrate proficiency in at least one discipline and practice skills necessary to show improvement;

analyze, synthesize, validate, evaluate and revise their own artwork as well as that of their peers.

Art History Departmental Learning Goals

Goal #1: demonstrate
effective written and oral communication to convey concepts and
conclusions developed through critical and creative thinking; (overlaps
W1 and W2 Institutional but with discipline specific emphases)

Outcomes: Competency in the field will be demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

use discipline appropriate research methods, terms, and formats to describe and discuss cultural productions;

write clearly and concisely to convey analysis and independent judgments

speak clearly and concisely in a group context to convey analysis and independent judgments

analyze, synthesize, validate, evaluate and revise their own judgments as well as that of their peers.

Goal #2: critically observe and analyze art from many periods and locals to identify problems and form independent judgments.

Outcomes: Competency in the field will be demonstrated by the student’s ability to:

identify key concepts and terminology from a period or culture;

identify and place in context key monuments/artistic productions of a period or culture;

Fine Arts

The Fine Arts program introduces students to a complex and important
area of human culture. In art history courses, they learn how to
evaluate works aesthetically and to comprehend and recognize influences
of contributing forces (physical, political, intellectual, spiritual) on
artists and the viewing public. In studio courses, the creative
experience is offered and concerns of artistic activity are made more
vivid. As Fine Arts majors, students concentrate in either Studio Art or
Art History. Minors are offered in Studio Art, Art History, and
Archaeology. All students should plan their program of study in
consultation with the Fine Arts program chair. Courses may include field
trips to museums and galleries in nearby cities.

Internships are encouraged for all students in the major or minor,
especially those planning careers in museums, galleries, educational or
cultural institutions, commercial art or arts administration. The
program benefits from several campus resources including the Bogigian
Art Gallery and the Hunnicutt Classics Collection. An Artist in
Residency program helps to expose students to visual and performing
artists. These resources are described under the section on Academic
Resources.

Courses in related disciplines may be recommended for academic
enrichment or career goals. The following courses may be credited
towards the Art History requirement: CLS 215 Women in Antiquity and CLS
270 Topics in Classical Civilization.

Resources

As a student interested in Visual or Performing Arts, Art History, Archeology, or Classics, the Department of Fine Arts offers you a number of distinctive opportunities, including:

Studio Facilities: Beautifully renovated dance studio, two well-lit drawing and painting studios, a new wet darkroom, a comfortable seminar room with large couches and giant critique wall, a 20 station Dell computer lab featuring the Adobe Creative Suite, a ceramics studio with two electric kilns and five wheels, a printmaking studio with a mechanized press, and semi-private studio space for seniors.

Summer Artist-in-Residency Program: Permits artists from across the country to visit Wilson for two-week residencies. While here, they engage current art students in conversation about work, art and life as an artist. They conduct formal and informal critiques with students and fellow residents, and have the opportunity to exhibit in the Wilson College Bogigian Gallery or perform in either the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio or Laird Hall.

Visiting Artists: Each semester, professional visual and/or performing artists are invited to campus to talk about and perform their own professional work and meet with students to discuss student work. They come with varied backgrounds as professional artists and educators working in a variety of media, and bring new perspectives to current Wilson students.

The Bogigian Gallery:Two exhibitions are hosted each semester, with a concentration on women artists. The schedule includes the annual juried Student Show held at the end of the Spring semester and a Biannual Faculty/Staff Show, along with a variety of local, regional and nationally known artists.

The Hunnicutt Gallery of Classical Antiquities. A wonderful collection of artifacts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other great civilizations of the Western world. Students have the opportunity to study the collection in depth, and are invited to physically engage the objects.

The Orchesis Modern Dance Ensemble: Sponsors and performs a concert at the end of each semester, presenting a broad range of historical and modern dance. All Wilson students are eligible to enroll in Orchesis.

Regular field trips: To museums, galleries, and artist studios in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.

Major areas of study in Studio Art and Art History, Minorsin Dance, Archaeology and Music.
- An outstanding group of dedicated, diverse and broadly published and exhibited full-time faculty.
- A senior Capstone project for studio majors designed to prepare the student for life after Wilson as a graduate student or working artist.

Independent Study: Allows upper level students to design their own courses. Such courses have included: Defining the Portrait, Experiments in Collage, Concepts of Modern & Contemporary Art, Portfolio Preparation and Contemporary Concepts

Special majors: Is designed with major area directors. Past special majors have included Dance and Graphic Design.

Internships: Has included positions as Photographer at Busch Gardens Amusement Park in Williamsburg, VA , an Administrative Assistant at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, and a graphic designer with a firm in Washington, DC.

News

Free ballet classes offered every Monday evening from 6:00-7:15 in the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio. Classes are open to anyone from the Chambersburg community and are taught by Nancy Walker and Beth Skroban.

Orchesis will present the Fall Concert on November 14, 15 in the Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio. For more information contact Paula Kellinger at 717-2644141, extension 3274 or email paulakellinger@wilson.edu